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Justin Carr, who was shot during protest Wednesday, has died

Mayor tells CNN she is leaning toward releasing videos

Charlotte, North Carolina (CNN)Relatives of Keith Lamont Scott, after watching two police videos, said they couldn't say what was in his hands when he was shot and killed by a Charlotte police officer.

"It is impossible to discern from the videos what, if anything, Mr. Scott is holding in his hands," attorney Justin Bamberg said.

The family wants police to immediately release the videos to the public, Bamberg said.

But Charlotte-Mecklenberg police Chief Kerr Putney told reporters earlier Thursday that he's not going to do that because he doesn't want to jeopardize the investigation.

Asked whether there was a time at which the public could expect to see it, Putney said there should be no such expectation.

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"Transparency's in the eye of the beholder," he said. "If you think we should display a victim's worst day for public consumption, that is not the transparency I'm speaking of."

Putney later told CNN's Wolf Blitzer the decision wouldn't be his to make much longer anyway, as the investigation was being turned over to North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation.

Putney said video does not provide "definitive visual evidence" that Scott pointed a gun at police officers, including Brentley Vinson, who shot Scott. But other evidence and witness accounts support the police narrative that officers opened fire only after Scott refused to drop his weapon, he said.

The family says the video shows Scott acting calmly and non-aggressively on Tuesday. "When he was shot and killed, Mr. Scott's hands were by his side and he was slowly walking backwards," Bamberg said.

Scott didn't own a gun or habitually carry a gun, the family has told their attorneys, Bamberg said. Scott's family has said he was reading a book in his vehicle when officers approached.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts also watched the videos.

"It is not a very clear picture, and the gun in question is a small gun and it was not easy to see with the way the motion was happening," she told "Anderson Cooper 360."

The mayor said she is leaning toward releasing the footage to the public, but must remain mindful of the ongoing investigations into Scott's shooting.

Carr was discovered at the Omni Hotel uptown, and because the crowd was too thick for paramedics to access the scene, he had to be evacuated by a SWAT armored personnel carrier, the chief said. Authorities have said he was shot by another civilian.

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Wednesday's protests began peacefully, the chief said, but about 8 p.m. demonstrators began jumping on cars and damaging property at EpiCentre, an entertainment hub uptown. Police were forced to deploy tear gas, he said, and as the night went on, protesters shut down Interstate 277 and the city's light rail was halted just before midnight, due to the demonstrations,Putney said.

The violence and vandalism carried on until roughly 3 a.m., he said. The arrests ran the gamut from failing to disperse to assault to breaking and entering, and more arrests may come as authorities review video footage of the protests, he said.

Those looking to repeat the tumult will do so under an increased police presence Thursday night. There will be officers on foot and bike patrol, as well as dirt bikes. Helicopters will patrol the streets from above, and police will have more than 1,000 cameras to help monitor the city, Putney said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Brentley Vinson

The National Guard and state police will protect buildings and infrastructure so the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police can "focus on the people who are committing crimes, who are damaging property and assaulting our people," he said.

Guard troops were seen arriving Thursday afternoon and the state was in the process of activating 316 troops for security and crowd control.

What's on the video?

Keith Lamont Scott, shown with his wife, Rakeyia Scott.

While the public shouldn't expect to see the video, Todd Walther, spokesman for the Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police, told CNN that he viewed the footage, and it demonstrated Scott was "an obvious threat" to police officers. He said Scott can be seen with a gun and ankle holster in the video.

Scott was in a vehicle when police arrived to serve a warrant on another man at an apartment complex, he said.Some of the officers were not in uniform, but they still had vests or jackets that said "police" on the front and back, Walther said.

"He was seated in (the car) when he was approached, but when he exited that vehicle, he was given clear commands to drop the weapon -- and he did not do that," Walther said. "So he was armed when he came out of that vehicle and refused to listen to officers."

In a photo obtained by an affiliate WSOC source, a photo shows the scene where Keith Scott was fatally shot by police.

A photo obtained by CNN affiliate WSOC shows the immediate aftermath of the shooting of Scott, a source close to the investigation told CNN.

A black object near the bottom of the photo is a gun found by police at the scene, the source said.

"Technology like dashboard cameras and body cameras can be very helpful, but when used by itself technology can also mislead and misinform, which causes other issues and problems within our community," Gov. Pat McCrory said after signing the bill into law in July.

'It was madness'

Photos:Protests over Charlotte police shooting

Protesters stand outside Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, September 25. Violent protests erupted on Tuesday after the death of Keith Lamont Scott, who was shot by a police officer in an apartment complex parking lot. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Scott exited his car with a gun and that he was shot after he wouldn't drop it. Scott's family said he was unarmed and sitting in his car reading a book.

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Photos:Protests over Charlotte police shooting

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers arrive outside of Bank of America Stadium prior to the Panthers game on September 25.

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Demonstrators take a knee outside Bank of America Stadium as the national anthem is played on September 25.

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Members of the National Guard stand watch in front of a Charlotte hotel on Friday, September 23.

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Protesters march in Charlotte on September 23.

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A protester, right, expresses his opinion to a police officer and another pedestrian near Trade and Tryon Streets in Charlotte on Thursday, September 22.

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Residents and activists march in the streets of Charlotte on September 22. There was a heavy police presence, and the National Guard was also on hand.

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Protesters confront police officers near Trade and Tryon streets on September 22.

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National Guardsmen stand at their post in downtown Charlotte on September 22.

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Members of the North Carolina National Guard speak with residents and visitors on September 22.

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Police officers and protesters carry a man who was shot during the second night of protests on Wednesday, September 21. The shooting victim, 26-year-old Justin Carr, later died. Police have charged another civilian in connection with Carr's death.

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Photos:Protests over Charlotte police shooting

A protester shouts to a crowd in downtown Charlotte on the evening of September 21.

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A police officer in riot gear stands near a damaged storefront on September 21.

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Protesters throw chairs at a restaurant on September 21.

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A protester stares down law enforcement officers during protests on September 21.

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A police officer tries to grab a protester from the crowd.

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Charlotte public defender Toussaint Romain pushes a protester back from a line of police. "We can't lose any more lives, man. I'm a public defender. I can't represent any more people," he told CNN's Boris Sanchez.

On the first night of demonstrations, police officers face off with protesters on Interstate 85.

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After blocking traffic on I-85, some of the protesters took cargo from tractor-trailers and set it on fire.

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Protesters react to a police helicopter.

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A police officer stands guard near a fire on I-85.

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Protesters run from a gas canister after blocking traffic on I-85.

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Protesters march down W.T. Harris Boulevard.

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Police officers face off with protesters on the first night of demonstrations.

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A police officer faces protesters.

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Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts has called for a full investigation into the shooting. She said the officer who shot Scott, Brentley Vinson, has been placed on paid administrative leave. Vinson is also black.

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Police stand guard on the first night of protests.

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A police officer attempts to extinguish a fire on I-85.

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"I was right in the thick of it," witness Zach Locke said. "People found whatever objects they could to break glasses. It was madness."

Stores were looted, and freelance photographer Marcus DiPaola told CNN he saw people knock over an ATM and grab money from it.

The Hyatt House Hotel downtown went into lockdown as protesters tossed bricks through the window. Protesters punched a valet and front desk attendant in the face, hotel manager Matt Allen said.

Not all the protests were violent.

Kristine Slade, 19, a University of North Carolina at Charlotte student, joined the protests Tuesday night, kneeling in front of a police line with her hands up in the air. She said she felt like she had to protest, because "if nobody else is going to do it, then we're still going to be in the same position."